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Kenya: The F-Word Is Not a Dirty Word

Published

5 years ago

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A friend of mine is doing her PhD thesis on, among other things, different types of feminism. She asked me to read it over, because that whole feminism thing is right up my alley, and she is writing about a feminist hero: Wangari Maathai.

In her paper, she talks about the fact that feminism is not really supported in Africa, for a couple of reasons: we lack the policy and infrastructure in a lot of areas to push for gender equality when we need to; feminism is seen as a Western concept; most people support gender inequity, especially married women who benefit from the protection of patriarchy; among other things. But what jumped out to me most (other than women keeping other women down) was what Wangari Maathai said to people who were threatening her and her life, with male politicians going to the extent of threatening her with FGM.

“I’m sick and tired of men who are so incompetent that, every time they feel the heat because women are challenging them, they have to check their genitalia to reassure themselves. I’m not interested in that part of the anatomy. The issues I’m dealing with require the utilisation of the anatomy of whatever lies above the neck. If you don’t have anything there, leave me alone.” (J. Mbaria, ‘East Africa Hails Wangari Maathai’s peace prize’, The East African, 11 October 2004)

Can you believe I’ve never read this apparently famous quote before? I am not sure what I have been reading. But this is the exact kind of feminism I’m interested in.

Every time I say I am a feminist, people look at me like it is a dirty word. To the point that, I remember early on when I put a word to what I was, I would not say it in public. I didn’t want to defend myself. I didn’t want to keep being told I would never get a boyfriend. It was a tiring perspective to constantly have to explain. But the older I grow, the more I realise the importance of being loud. Of being seen to be loud. Of not being silenced by a very real systemic manipulation that’s truly trying to keep women in ‘their place.’